


The Dying Ember

by Kariszma83



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Gen, Post-Catching Fire, Pre-Mockingjay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 21:49:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kariszma83/pseuds/Kariszma83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A failed rescue attempt brings Peeta Mellark and Finnick Odair closer together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dying Ember

**Author's Note:**

  * For [noharlembeat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/noharlembeat/gifts).



> Thank you to my wonderful BFF Steph for the beta. NoHarlemBeat, I hope you enjoy this story just for you! Happy Holidays and the best of New Year's to you.

_Catching Fire Page 388_

 _“It’s better for him than Johanna. They’ll figure out he doesn’t know anything pretty fast. And they won’t kill him if they think they can use him against you,” says Finnick._

 _“Like bait?” Katniss says to the ceiling. “Like how they’ll use Annie for bait, Finnick?”_

Finnick Odair walked away from Katniss as the tears ran down his extremely handsome face. He cursed himself for acting this way, for showing such emotion when he had hidden it so well for so long. But Katniss always seemed to have a way of drawing things out of people whether they wanted to share them or not. Finnick found an empty bench in the hallway, and sat down to collect himself, wiping the tears from his golden-tanned cheeks. He thought about what Katniss had said about Annie. Annie – the only thing left in this world that he gave a damn about. Every time he thought about her, he felt so helpless; nothing he did made anything any better. He had been the Capitol’s pawn for years now, and he was losing hope of ever getting Annie back.

His thoughts turned to Katniss and Peeta and he knew Katniss was feeling the same way that he was now. He thought of Peeta and their time in the arena. Peeta was not only a worthy opponent, but also a worthy friend. He had honor, and he genuinely cared for everyone he met, even competitors he was supposed to be disposing of within the Games. This knowledge made Finnick feel even worse about his inability to save Peeta during the escape. The Capitol had forced him to give up everything he had. He felt the tears well up in his eyes again, but he told himself to suck it up. After some time sitting on the bench, Finnick stood, his mind made up. He was tired of waiting. He was going to go save Annie and Peeta himself.

Two days later and what seemed like years away, Finnick’s good intentions came crashing to to the ground as he was dragged through a hallway somewhere in the capitol where he suspected prisoners were held. It was hard to make things out through his bruised and bloodied eyes, especially at the fast pace. He had tried to be inconspicuous getting into the Capitol, but he knew he’d been rash and hadn’t taken the time to plan a better strategy against whatever technology President Snow possessed. The guards who dragged Finnick through the hallways were silent and cruel. After catching him, they had beaten him with their hands, feet, and clubs.

Finnick had sat there and taken it. If his life of training as a Career had taught him anything, it was how to accept pain. Now though, the guards seemed to have reached their destination. Finnick slumped to the ground as the guard on his left let go of his arm abruptly to unlock the door font of them, pushed it open, and both guards roughly rolled and shoved Finnick into the cell, clipping his shoulder with the door as they locked it. Finnick listened to the sound of their footsteps receding from the door. He steadied himself and took a deep, painful breath to attempt to sit up but stopped when he heard a voice behind his whisper, “Finnick?”

Finnick rolled his broken body as best as he could and raised his eyes to meet those of Peeta Mellark.

“Finnick?” Peeta asked gaping at Finnick in astonishment. “What…? How did you get here? Where is Katniss? What has happened?”

Two hours later, Finnick licked his cracked lips wishing he had even a sip of water. Bringing Peeta up to speed had taken longer than Finnick had thought it would, mainly due to Peeta’s constant barrage of questions that forced Finnick to keep backtracking on the story.  
Peeta sat quietly absorbing the information that Finnick had just imparted to him. He was shocked at the preparation that had gone into the plan engineered by Haymitch, probably while drunk, without he or Katniss being the wiser. But, his plan all along had been to keep Katniss alive, and that plan had succeeded. Katniss was safe in district 13, and he was…here, a fate he didn’t relish but was worth every second of Katniss’ safety. Peeta looked over at Finnick and could sense the utter defeat in every labored movement Finnick made. Peeta knew Finnick was a fierce competitor, but he wasn’t sure what had caused this unusual shift in his normally sarcastic and blasé demeanor.

 

“As much as I know you care for me,Finnick,” Peeta managed after a minute with a smirk, “why did you come here? Am I wrong in thinking it wasn’t really for me?”

“It was for you, in part, but I was fueled on by the need to save my Annie,” Finnick said softly.

“Annie Cresta, you mean?” asked Peeta.

“She’s the one,the only one worth staying alive for, especially after everything the Games took away from me,” said Finnick. “I take it you knew about our relationship?”

“I knew. But I never would have known that you’d go to such lengths for her. She must be pretty amazing,” replied Finnick.

“She is amazing,” said Finnick, “I imagine you feel much the way about Katniss as I feel about my Annie.”

“Katniss and I have…an interesting relationship, but yes, I feel like she is the only thing worth anything in this world, and I am fully committed to dying in order to keep her alive,” responded Peeta.

“That’s how I feel about Annie, although I seem to have failed to be of any service to her thus far,” said Finnick shrugging.

Peeta, not knowing what to say to this, sat quietly and peered around at their meager surroundings. After a minute he turned once again to look at Finnick, “What do we do at this point?”

On the other side of the darkened cell, Peeta heard a sniff and saw Finnick shift his position on the ground to angle his face away from Peeta. Peeta could tell that he was clearly crying but trying to hide it. It was a very long time before Finnick could manage to respond at all.

“I…I don’t know,” Finnick mumbled, his voice thick with tears.

Peeta slowly moved to Finnick, unsure of how to respond. This Finnick was so unlike the cocky and sure person he had spent so much time with during the Games. Peeta sat down next to Finnick on the floor and put his arm tentatively around his shoulders. Finnick turned his head into Peeta’s shoulder and began to cry in earnest. Peeta embraced Finnick and attempted to keep him from slumping over. Peeta gently patted Finnick’s back as he cried and hummed one of the songs from his childhood under his breath.

*

Peeta opened his weary eyes and lifted his head and saw the sun break through the tiny barred window in their cell. Finnick’s tears had ceased sometime in the night and the two had slept in a comfortable but eerie calm. Peeta tried to ease Finnick off of his shoulder without disturbing him, but Finnick awoke and moaned in pain.

“You sound like I feel,” laughed Peeta humorlessly.

Finnick looked bleakly at Peeta, the weariness of the past three days evident in his face.

“What do we do Peeta?” Finnick whispered.

Peeta stood painfully but resolutely, and said softly, “We’re going to save her, Finnick. We’re going to save Annie, and then we’re going to get to District 13. I’m going to get Katniss, and we’re all going to make it. And we’re going to do it right now.”

“Now?” Finnick asked unsurely. “What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and get out of this mess, because we’re not doing them any good here,” said Peeta firmly. “Now let’s go.”

*

Over the next six hours, they formulated an elaborate escape plan based on their knowledge of where they were and where Annie was being held. But like so many other places, President Snow had eyes even there.

“What a touching moment between our heroes,” Snow remarked coldly. “Go retrieve our friend, Mr. Mellark. I think it’s time we began to help him see our side of things. As for Mr. Odair, put him in the rose garden and I’ll see to him myself. He has outlived his usefulness.”

The guards moved swiftly and silently into the cell taking Peeta and Finnick before they were even aware of what was happening. Both fought, but it was useless in their weakened states. The last Finnick saw of Peeta he was being dragged behind the guards as one kicked him every few steps. Finnick was placed in the rose garden without any instruction. He wandered around looking for an escape, a way to find Peeta and Annie, anything that would help him. He saw nothing. He sat down on a bench to await what would happen. Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted from the hallway where Finnick himself had entered the garden. He heard the guards’ weapon fire through the door. Finnick rushed the door, hoping to use the distraction to his advantage. Before had taken ten steps, the door blasted inward, knocking Finnick off his feet. He crashed backwards to the floor, hitting his head in the process and slipping into unconsciousness.

When Finnick awoke, he thought he must be dreaming. To all outward appearances he was back in the hospital in District 13. He rolled his head painfully to the right and observed Katniss’ sleeping form in the bed next to him. His thoughts turned to Annie and Peeta and the mystery of what had gone on. Finnick felt the weight of the entire world on his shoulders and at that moment something broke inside of him. He grabbed for a piece of rope on his bedside table and began to tie the knots he could tie in his sleep. All his hopes now rested solely on the shoulders of the girl in the bed next to him – on the shoulders of the Mockingjay.


End file.
